Tanzania Travel Guide

Tanzania is an awesome place for safari, experience of a lifetime for us

It is not often our holidays exceed all expectations. We went on a safari with African Big Cats Safaris who organized the vehicle, driver, accommodation and the experiences. The safari was well organized. On arrival we were met by our driver, and then met the owner of the company who explained how the safari works. I believe most Tanzanian safari companies work in a similar manner. Our safari was 12 nights, 11 days actual safari.

We have the impression that many guides have done a course to take tourists in safaris. Try to get a driver guide who shares some wildlife interests as you, especially if you are into birds, insects, and or plants which will enhance your experience. As we like watching and photographing birds, our guide who liked birds certainly enhanced our trip.

The accommodation was well selected and we were safe and comfortable. We stayed in lodges and safari camps with permanent glamping tents with wood floors. The food and drink was excellent at all venues. The staff were attentive and polite everywhere we went. The itinerary was well planned to introduce us to northern Tanzania leading to the high point which was the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. The driver guides from all the safari companies talk to each other and co-operate so everyone sees the rarer animals. We were wowed by the animals and birds and the Great Migration.

The cultural experiences were not to be missed We visited the Hadzabe tribe and some Datooga metal craftsmen and a Maasai village. Whilst on safari we did two walks with armed rangers, one in Arusha National Park and one on the Ngorongoro crater rim. Both are worth doing as you are on the ground instead of looking from the vehicle.

We used a shuttle between Nairobi and Arusha, which was a good way to travel between the two places. We had no issues with it and felt and were safe traveling with it. The traffic in Arusha and the towns were so different to what we were used to, but it worked well, just trust your driver who knows how to drive there.

We suggest that you visit Arusha National Park first to get a good introduction to the safari that you choose, then visit the other national parks, and cultural places, leading up to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

We went on the end of the wet season and the weather was fine. Not as cold as we expected, but that was good for us. Take some warm clothes and follow the advice that the safari companies give you for clothing. Take plenty of US currency in small notes. We took half what we needed, however we were able to use the ATMs to get and use the local currency. The drivers know where the ATMs were located.

There were a number of souvenir stops with toilets (washrooms) on the main roads. The stuff varied from basic to awesome carvings and crafts, clothing and other goods. Be prepared to bargain for a lower price. There are a lot of people selling souvenirs at the park gates and other places. Be prepared for them to try to sell you stuff.

We found Tanzania an awesome safari destination.

Amazing. Everything was perfect, the trip, the food, the camp site.

The experience was amazing, Tanzania is a big country, I chose an exceptional tour, the guide used to explain everything about the place and, the animals. The food was better than I expected.

Amazing

An amazing experience with Dancing Simba Safaris! Breathtaking.

Northern Tanzania circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara) are the best in the world for highest density of wild animals.

Increíble beyond my Imagination

We safaried in Tanzania 11 days in June hoping to see the Great Wildebeest Migration. The wildlife sightings were beyond our wildest imaginations. The wildebeest must have been a million +. Zebras-Half a million+. After 20 lions and 20 cheetahs and 20 elephants we lost count. The black rhino and the leopard were the only animals we only saw one of each. Safari Soles and our driver Isaack were amazing as well. I have no doubt their skills made our trip to Tanzania the perfect experience to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.

Amazing experience, totally recommended, better than any other place for Safari!

The parks are really well taken care of, the regulations allow tourists to visit without overcrowding, the guides are respectful of the animals and dont let you be disruptive to them.
I can totally recommend Northern parks in Tanzania, much more than any other place for similar style safaris.

Amazing experience. Each day was a surprise.

Tanzania was a wonderful surprise. We visited Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the Kilimanjaro waterfalls. Each place was amazing. My husband and I went in June, and the temperature in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro can be cool early in the morning and at night. It is advisable to bring some warm clothing to avoid getting cold. If you are going to visit the Kilimanjaro or Materuni Waterfalls, I highly recommend wearing shoes suitable for walking on dirt and mud. We went after a rainy day, and it was a bit difficult to walk.
If you want to buy handicrafts, remember to negotiate the price. It is better to buy handicrafts in Arusha rather than at the roadside markets between parks. If you have time, visit the Masai Market Center.
The people are very friendly and warm.
We traveled with the agency Ngekewa Safaris, and our guide Goodlove was excellent; he took great care of us the entire time.

Amazing nature, service, and people. Everything we could've hoped for!

Had an amazing 10-night safari through Lake Natron, Serengeti NP, Ngorogoro Crater, Lake Eyasi cultural tours, and Tarangire NP.

Lake Natron is a bit out-of-the-way and off-the-beaten-path, and is known for its flamingos, shallow water lake, and beautiful sunrises with Mountain Ol Doinyo Lengai in the background. We saw many Maasai people herding sheep and cattle on the drive. Amazing scenery, but expect a 4+ hour drive.

Serengeti lived up to its reputation and more in our time there. We saw 4 of the big 5 (missing only the Black Rhino) in just our first two days - truly amazing. The luxury tented camps are much more "luxury" than "tents" - complete with stand-up showers, hot water, electricity, and importantly no insects or rodents as they're fully enclosed. We never had a bad meal and enjoyed every moment of our game drives.

Ngorogoro Crater is perhaps the most densely populated setting of incredible wild animals I could ever think of. Driving into the Crater when it opened, we were met by two large male lions within 30 seconds, walking right by our car so close I could've touched one. We then saw another pride of ~10 lion cubs playing in the plains with 5 more females sleeping nearby. Shortly thereafter, we completed seeing the big 5 as we saw two black rhinos in the distance, having just taken a mud bath in the crater's lake. Finally, as we were getting hungry and going to the breakfast spot, we were practically escorted for 2 full minutes by a family of elephants. A truly incredible place.

Lake Eyasi was cool - we met the Datoga and Hadzabe tribes (I'm surely misspelling them lol). They are both nomadic people and speak 0 English and very little Swahili, so you need a local guide to translate for you + know where they are at any given time. If desired, you may be able to go hunting in the morning with the Hadzabe tribe using a bow & arrow; we elected not to do this, but it may appeal to some.

Tarangire is known for elephants, but was admittedly a bit underwhelming after going to the Serengeti just because it has a much lower concentration of the Big 5. It is a great place to start your tour but not the best to end it. However, we had great accommodations, and at one point we were literally surrounded by elephants crossing the street around our Land Cruiser (not an exaggeration).

Overall, an amazing place. I will surely be back to the Serengeti + to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro!!

Amazing country with welcoming happy people!

Unsure what to expect but no need to have worried! Extremely safe and welcoming country from the moment we arrived at Kilamanjaro airport where even the visa people were friendly and chatty! Hotel in Arusha of African Safari lodge was another great find, very welcoming staff, lovely room and fabulous food even though it was a small hotel they went above and beyond to make sure we had a good stay! We had booked a Safari with Landsman Experience company which was both slick and professional at all times. We visited Tarangire which was a fantastic day out from Arusha itself. Beautiful scenery, greener than the Serengeti and lots of wildlife to get up close and photograph highly recommended! A light aircraft journey into Serengeti organised by Gerald our travel guide was yet another highlight to see this beautiful area by air! Onto Safari which was amazing loved every minute and had a wonderful stay at the very clean Serena lodges with again great food and lovely welcome. We did a hot air balloon safari booked with Shine balloons which was was an amazing trip with a fantastic pilot called Paddy who made us feel special and safe at all times, finishing with a champagne breakfast and celebratory dance and cake to celebrate our anniversary and a little girls birthday on our trip. All organised with out our knowledge showing the generosity of the people there who really want their customers to have the best time! We also visited Ngorongoro which has spectacular scenery and well worth a visit too!! To finish our trip we flew to Zanzibar and stayed a night in Stone Town! We had an airport pickup organised by the hotel Maru Maru which was so good as he gave us a brief but interesting commentary on the landmarks we passed! Hotel was again excellent and central and we enjoyed time wondering around the streets on our own, everyone was friendly and yes they want you to go in their shop but did allow you to look around without high pressure to buy! We finished off at Nungwi beach it has a stunning beach and interesting village to wander round. We would like to have seen more of this beautiful island and hopefully will be back! In summary don't hesitate to visit you wont be disappointed!

Once in a lifetime experience

Had a fantastic trip to Tanzania for our anniversary. Tanzania Specialists gave us the trip of a lifetime. Our guide Christian was the best. His expertise and knowledge of the places we visited allowed us to not only see the Big 5, but way more wildlife. He was patient and always allowed us to stay as long as we wanted to get the full experience of the animals. The accommodations were great too especially Sounds of Silence in Serengeti. The hot air balloon ride to see the wildabeast migrating was amazing as well. If you go to Tanzania I would highly recommend Tanzania Specialists and request Christian if you can you will not be disappointed.